1. Field
The disclosed aspects relate generally to communications between and/or within devices and specifically to methods and systems for improving a radio frequency (RF) discovery process, facilitated by a NFC controller (NFCC) and a device host (DH), for requests that originate from a Near Field Communication (NFC) execution environment (NFCEE).
2. Background
Advances in technology have resulted in smaller and more powerful personal computing devices. For example, there currently exist a variety of portable personal computing devices, including wireless computing devices, such as portable wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and paging devices that are each small, lightweight, and can be easily carried by users. More specifically, the portable wireless telephones, for example, further include cellular telephones that communicate voice and data packets over wireless networks. Many such cellular telephones are manufactured with ever increasing computing capabilities, and as such, are becoming tantamount to small personal computers and hand-held PDAs. Further, such devices are enabling communications using a variety of frequencies and applicable coverage areas, such as cellular communications, wireless local area network (WLAN) communications, NFC, etc.
As described in the present draft of the NFC Forum Controller Interface (NCI) specification, a DH orchestrates communications with the NFCC to start a RF discovery process. As part of this process, a RF discover command (e.g., RF_DISCOVER_CMD) is used that includes parameters covering a list of discovery tasks for the NFCC to perform. Another message associated with the RF discovery process is a NFCEE discovery request notification (e.g., RF_NFCEE_DISCOVERY_REQ_NTF). The RF_NFCEE_DISCOVERY_REQ_NTF enables the NFCC to inform the DH that an NFCEE (e.g., secure element) is coupled to the NFCC and that the NFCEE intends to prompt the NFCC to perform RF Discovery on its behalf. For example, applications resident on a NFCEE (e.g., universal integrated communication card (UICC)) or other secure element may be enabled to attempt NFC transactions independently of the DH. To date, there is no interplay/overlap between the parameters included in the RF_DISCOVER_CMD and the parameters in the RF_NFCEE_DISCOVERY_REQ_NTF. As such, although the DH may be notified that an NFCEE intends to use the NFCC for RF discovery, the DH is not made aware of any configuration parameters the NFCEE would prefer/request to be used during such an RF discovery. For example, the DH is unaware of the NFCEE preferences with respect to RF technology (NFC-A, B, F), RF mode (e.g., polling, listening) and whether active or passive communications are to be used during RF discovery. Thus, improved apparatuses and methods for providing a mechanism by which an NFCC can provide a DH with sufficient information to begin RF Discovery on behalf of a NFCEE may be desired.